Local Ambisonics panning method for creating a virtual source in the vertical plane of the frontal hemisphere

作者：Yi, Kailing; Xie, Bosun^*

来源：APPLIED ACOUSTICS, 2020, 165: 107319.

DOI：10.1016/j.apacoust.2020.107319

• Vertical plane
• Amplitude panning
• Dynamic localization cue

With the development of multichannel sound with height, it is desirable to create a virtual source in different vertical directions, especially in the vertical plane of the frontal hemisphere. For this purpose, a local Ambisonics panning method is proposed in the present work. In this analysis, three loudspeakers are arranged in different elevations, with one located in the horizontal plane and other two located at 30 degrees similar to 45 degrees above or below the horizontal plane, respectively. The amplitudes of loudspeaker signals are a weighted combination of the zero order and first order harmonics of the elevation angle. It is proved that by choosing the weights of a combination properly, the current method is able to create an appropriate interaural time difference as well as its dynamic variation caused by head rotation and head tilting. Therefore, based on the classic Wallach's hypothesis and its modern validations, the current method is able to create an appropriate dynamic cue for vertical localization at a low frequency. The results of psychoacoustic experiments indicate that the current method yields a reasonable localization performance and is superior to traditional pair-wise amplitude panning.